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The Angels’ Share, the Spirit of Whisky

Angels’ Share … A Spirit of Taste

During the maturation of Scotch whisky about 2% is lost from the cask through evaporation. The UK Revenue and Customs accept the vanished amount as part of the production process and duty is not claimed. This is known as “The Angels’ Share”.

cartoon of … “a play of words between ‘Cher’ and the Angels Share” by Steven Carroll … click picture for a link to Steven’s site

Expert opinion

For Scotch to be legally called Scotch, it must be matured in oak barrels, in Scotland, for at least three years. Oak barrels are permeable however, and they absorb a significant amount of liquid over time.

As much as 5% of the volume of the new spirit we put into a cask will be quickly absorbed into the thirsty wood when it is initially filled – but it does not stop there. A smaller proportion, up to 2%, will go right through the grain each year and out into the atmosphere to be lost forever (unless you are an angel). It is therefore not uncommon for a cask that is fifteen years old to be half empty by the time it is bottled.